A word of warning to the readers…
This chapter is rated M for sexual nature.
Chapter 7: Spying and a Compromising Situation
It was past ten in the morning when Skye made for the door of her father's small house. Her father had just been discharged from the hospital and was finally allowed to go home after almost two months. The blue-haired woman had assisted her father home and even helped him get settled. As the mechanic got comfortable in his bed, Skye got to the task of cleaning up the cluttered house. After cleaning and cooking a simple meal, the jade-eyed woman walked into her father's room. "I'm off, oto-san," she told the older man, rolling her sleeves up her arm.
Akira Sagara grunted an unintelligible reply as he sank into his mattress. "Where are you off to this time? Summer vacation has just started right?" he questioned his only daughter. "Don't tell me you still got work to do." He looked in dismay at the young woman who stood at his doorway.
Skye shook her head. "The students are on vacation so I don't have work to do," she replied. "The school kind I mean," she added, running her long fingers through her hair. "I do have to work for a living so I took a few summer jobs."
"What kind?" Akira asked, a bit curious that his well-bred daughter was taking up summer jobs.
The blue-haired woman counted the jobs on her fingers. "Well starting tomorrow, I'm going to be a swimming instructor for a bunch of kids at the public indoor swimming pool every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I got hired to deliver packages at this delivery service place. They said I could work for them on my free days, which are Tuesdays and Thursdays," she explained. "Then on Saturday evenings, I'll be playing bartender at some bar in Paulownia Mall."
"Don't overwork yourself," Akira told his daughter in a gruff voice. He wasn't the affectionate type of father, but he clearly loved his daughter.
"Don't worry about me, oto-san," she assured her father. "You should be worrying more about your health. Now don't forget that you can't do any work for a few days. If you get hungry, just head to the kitchen and have the food I prepared for you." She stuffed her hands into her pockets. "I'm off to visit an old friend."
"Old friend?" Akira raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Which old friend is this specifically?"
"From Iwatodai strip, oto-san," Skye replied, looking serious.
"That old friend?" The mechanic demanded, the blood draining from his face. "You're planning to visit that place? You're old enough to know what that place does, right?" He covered his eyes with his hand.
Skye chuckled and turned on her heel. "I've known what that establishment has been doing ever since I was still a kid, oto-san," she reminded her father. "Besides, I'm due for a visit especially since I owe this old friend a few things."
Akira Sagara let out a defeated sigh. "I can't stop you from going there, but just take care of yourself there."
"I will oto-san. Get some sleep." Skye waved goodbye to her father and headed out of the house.
"By the way Skye," Akira called out. "Check out my garage. A shipment just arrived from London from your grandparents. The delivery men must have dropped it off a few days ago," he explained. "I unpacked it and made sure that it's in good shape. Take it with you, will you?" He snuggled deeper into his blankets.
Skye frowned and headed for the garage. "Something from my grandparents?" she muttered to herself. She strode into the garage and gawked at the familiar sight. The white alpine body with a black engine accented by blue rims still made the jade-eyed woman smile despite her bad feelings for her mother's parents. As she ran a hand over the BMW HP2 Sport bike, she could not help but reminisce about the past. She had just graduated magna cum laude from the London University and her grandparents had presented her with the motorcycle before her. She had protested the gift because of her memories of her mother, but eventually accepted it. The sleek BMW sport bike had become her favorite thing until she found out about the motives of her mother's family. She had left the bike behind when she travelled to Japan to make peace with her father and to start a new life.
"Are they trying to get back to my good side by doing this?" Skye said crossly, grabbing a spare helmet from the garage and boarding the sport bike. "It's going to take more than that for me to forgive them." She ignited the engines and sped down the road.
In front of the Wild Duck Burger at Iwatodai Station, a familiar redhead and a shorter hazel-haired girl stood at its doors. "Would you like to eat here instead?" Mitsuru asked her younger girlfriend. It was the second day of summer vacation and already the two decided that they should go on a date before they spent time with their friends.
Yukari cringed as she spotted the familiar green mascot of the fast food chain. "I ate here so much before summer started," she admitted with disgust. "Junpei absolutely loves this place so we ended up eating here far too many times after classes ended."
"That boy's going to end up having his stomach pumped with all the junk food he eats," Mitsuru shared, a smile forming on her face. "Speaking of Junpei, what are he and our other friends doing?"
Honey-brown eyes looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Well Junpei and Minato are working part time. I'm not sure if they're lifeguards at the beach or something similar to that. Fuuka's doing part time at an internet café and Aigis and Koromaru are helping out in hospitals."
"Hospitals?"
Yukari nodded and grinned. "You know! Koromaru's a therapy dog and Aigis is his handler," she replied. "They started a few days ago and I heard the kids absolutely love Koromaru." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "As for Ken-kun, he has kendo practice for an upcoming tournament. I'm not sure what Akihiko-senpai is doing for the summer though," she added.
"Oh he'll be training as usual," Mitsuru told her lover. "He's so focused on boxing that he forgets that he has a life." She led the younger girl away from the fast food chain. "So where do you want to go then, Yukari?" she asked as they walked down the Iwatodai strip.
"Anywhere else is fine with me, senpai," Yukari replied, turning her head as the familiar roar of a motorcycle engine filled her ears.
Mitsuru let out as low whistle. "C'est étonnant!" she exclaimed as a large motorcycle drove past them and halted at a nearby parking lot.
"Huh? Translate please!" Yukari told her lover as she looked at the stylish motorcycle.
Mitsuru shook her head. "Sorry," she apologized with a sheepish grin. "I said 'that is amazing' in French."
Yukari frowned. "So you were referring to that motorcycle?" She let out a disgruntled groan and crossed her arms over her chest. "I was actually hoping you were referring to me."
The auburn-haired heiress wrapped an arm around the slightly shorter girl's waist and pulled her against her body. "You are far more than amazing to me, mon amour," Mitsuru assured the younger girl. She turned to observe the bike and let out a long hum of admiration. "The bike caught my eye because it's one of the best around," she started. "That's a BMW HP2 sport bike and it's quite expensive to own.
There are few people from around here who could afford it." She peered at the rider who was pulling off his helmet and let out a small gasp as she recognized the shock of blue-black hair. "Skye-san?"
"What's she doing here?" Yukari asked with a frown on her face. "She's quite far off from the university she teaches in!" Disdain made the high school senior's honey-brown eyes dark.
"Now now..." Mitsuru soothed her girlfriend. "It's summer vacation after all and even professionals have a life." She looked thoughtful as she watched her professor leave the BMW bike and make her way towards another part of Iwatodai. "But I am a bit curious what she's doing here," she admitted, tugging on Yukari's hand.
"Well let's follow her then!" Yukari suggested, also curious. She and Mitsuru stealthily chased after the jade-eyed woman through street after street until they found themselves at an ever so familiar area of Iwatodai. "What is she planning to do at... this place?" Her delicate eyebrows furrowed as she frowned deeply at the surrounding love hotels and motels around them.
Mitsuru also frowned deeply as she peeked around a wall corner and kept an eye on the walking figure of the older woman they were following. She and her other friends had bad memories of this particular area of Iwatodai. Disposing of a particular shadow in a nearby love hotel that had played with their minds in a malicious manner had not been very enjoyable for them. "What could she possibly be doing here? An errand?"
"Maybe she's looking for company," Yukari snickered, shock registering on her face when they saw their target actually stop in front of the entrance of a modern-day brothel. "I was just kidding! I didn't think she'd actually do that!" The hazel-haired student began to worry that her lover would take what she said against her.
"She's going in!" Mitsuru exclaimed, jumping out of their hiding place and motioning for Yukari to follow her. "Come on! I see a window that we could use!" She and the hazel-haired archer jogged towards the rather colorful building.
Sneaking into an alleyway, both girls carefully stood by a window and peeked inside the well-furnished establishment. "Did you ever wonder if Sagara-san liked women, senpai?" Yukari asked in a whisper.
"She mentioned that she had a few female suitors back when she was still in high school and college, but she never was interested," Mitsuru replied, feeling a little bit doubtful with what she said.
Yukari pressed her face closer to the glass to get a better view. "If she wasn't interested in women, there's a male brothel on the other end of this street," Yukari pointed out. "Oh look, Sagara-san has company," she said in sarcasm, biting back a cry of pain when her lover sharply elbowed her ribs.
"Hush!" Mitsuru hissed, ducking down so that she wouldn't be seen by the group of women who had walked into the lobby of the establishment to meet with the blue-haired professor.
"How strange for us to get a customer at this time of the day!" A blonde-haired woman with a voluptuous body stepped forward and sized up their visitor with curious eyes.
Another woman, this time with ebony-brown hair and much smaller than the first woman, circled around Skye who had a blank and uninterested look on her face. "It is strange to get customers at this time of the day, but it's even more unusual that we have a woman as a customer!"
"I wouldn't mind having this one as a customer though!" A woman who looked like a teenager exclaimed, while winking suggestively at Skye. "She's very good looking and not to mention physically fit!" Her eyes traced the tall figure of Skye. "Way fitter than the men we have to entertain every night!"
Four other women who worked in the brothel an as scantily dressed as the other women walked into the lobby to see what the commotion was about. "Hey! Don't hog the customer!" someone called out.
"Guy or girl, it's the customer who gets to pick which of us they want to spend time with!" The large group of women started to argue loudly with each other while Skye simply shook her head.
The jade-eyed professor cleared her throat as she stuffed her hands into her jeans' pockets. "Pardon me ladies," she began, offering a polite smile when the women all turned their heads to look at her. "I came here to simply inquire about something."
The blonde with the voluptuous body came forward and circled around Skye with her hand travelling from Skye's shoulder, across her back and onto the other shoulder. "What is your inquiry then?" she asked with a sultry voice.
Skye blinked once as a reaction to the blonde's advances and continued to look uninterested. "Is there someone from your work force named Kagami?" she asked, noting the surprised looks on the women's faces.
"What business do you have with her? She does not associate with just anyone, pretty eyes," the blonde-haired woman replied. "Besides, why pick her when you could pick any of us?" she added, spurring more noisy argument among the brothel's women.
"Ladies," Skye tried, stepping back as the women stepped towards her. She was just about to walk out of the brothel when a piercing and deep voice sounded from the top of the stairs.
"What's this ruckus about? It's too early for you girls to get this noisy!"
"Sorry boss, but there's this girl here who's been asking for you," a prostitute apologized, while she and some other women pointed at the unexpected visitor. "We tried telling her that you rarely take customers these days though, but she refused to accept that."
Skye this time raised her voice to defend herself. "My intentions here are misunderstood. I merely asked if there was a woman named Kagami working here." She scowled deeply at the different aged prostitutes around her and wondered if this visit was actually worth her time and effort. "These ladies jumped to conclusions and assumed I was a customer."
"But boss!"
"Quiet!" The boss of the brothel shouted from the top of the stairs. This particular lady looked to be in her mid-thirties, but still had the supple body of a teenager. As she made her way down the flight of stairs, her long raven-black hair cascaded down her back and her cobalt blue eyes were filled with experience and maturity. The women all stepped aside when their boss stepped foot onto the lobby and watched as she walked towards the still scowling Skye Sagara.
Skye's eyes widened in recognition as the so-called boss of the brothel stepped towards her. Despite the fact that she had been living on the other side of the world for the last twelve years, Skye still easily recognized the woman who stood before her. "It slipped my mind that it was a likely possibility that you would become the head of this brothel," she told the shorter woman.
"My skills as an entertainer are to be acknowledged," the raven-haired woman replied, tilting her head slightly as she looked closely at her visitor. "You have certainly grown in the last twelve years, jade eyes," she used the old nickname she had given Skye long before. "I'm a bit dismayed that you are actually taller than I am now," she added with a smile.
Skye shrugged and took her hands out of her pockets. "I didn't have a say with how tall I was going to be, Kagami one-san." The blue-haired professor smiled shyly. "I was hoping that you'd still be around."
Kagami began to laugh then put out her arms to embrace the older and much taller Skye. "For a while I almost forgot that you were that crybaby kid I picked up at that deserted park!" She took Skye's face into her hands and looked at her closely, her face mere inches away. "Twelve years in London certainly did a lot for you!"
Skye nodded her head, grabbed hold of Kagami's hands and brought them away from her slightly reddening face. "Just because I'm older now doesn't mean that you can still tease me, one-san!" she scolded, trying to ignore the surprised looks of the other women in the lobby.
"You know this person, boss lady?"
Kagami nodded to her underlings. "Why don't we head into the common room and have some tea? I can explain this and catch up with jade eyes over here at the same time," she suggested, towing Skye into another room filled with couches and a few coffee tables. After seating Skye by her side on one couch and a few of the prostitutes on the other couches, Kagami leaned back and gazed with interest at the woman by her side. "So what brings you back here to Japan, Skye-chan?"
"Must you call me that?" Skye muttered, turning red as the women around her giggled. "To put it simply, I got into a fight with my mother's family and I decided to move back here and take care of my dad." She ran a hand through her hair. "He's got cancer," she informed her.
"Boss! I thought you were going to explain who this girl is!"
Kagami waved her hand and frowned. "I will after I have my talk with Skye-chan!" She turned to focus her attention once more at the blue-haired woman, but got distracted when three other prostitutes came into the room with two unknown strangers between them. "What now? More visitors?" she demanded, eying the newcomers.
"We caught these two spying through one of our windows." The women pushed their prisoners forward. "You did make it clear that even looking at us requires payment so we brought them in."
Skye dropped her head into her hands and swore. "Mitsuru," she growled. "Must you always follow me around?" She glared at the flustered heiress of the Kirijo group through her fingers. "And this time, you had to bring your girlfriend along!"
Kagami raised her eyebrows at the developing situation before her. "You know these girls, Skye-chan?" she asked, getting to her feet and standing before Mitsuru and Yukari.
"The redhead is my student at the university I teach in and the other girl there is her girlfriend," Skye replied, leaning back heavily and crossing her arms over her chest. "The two of you have been quite nosy." She narrowed her jade-green eyes at the younger women.
"Hey! It's not our fault!" Yukari cried out. "How can a professor go to a brothel?" she demanded. "And to think you're Mitsuru-senpai's friend!" The archery team captain swiped at a hand that was warningly placed on her arm. "What business do you have in this place anyway!"
"Yukari, please calm down," Mitsuru told her lover. She glanced at the scowling professor and cleared her throat. "I apologize Skye-san, but I just couldn't help but follow you especially when you got to this area." She looked nervously around her.
Kagami walked back to the couch and sank into it once more, gesturing for Mitsuru and Yukari to do the same. "It's better if we straighten out this misunderstanding before we continue our conversation, Skye-chan," she winked teasingly at her.
Yukari goggled at the sight and opened her mouth to comment, but couldn't because of Mitsuru's scalding look.
"What do you want to ask?" Kagami looked at the two young women sitting before her.
"How is it that you know Skye-san?" Mitsuru asked, glancing at her professor.
"Oh I met Skye-chan when she was still a kid," the raven-haired woman started. "I was heading back here after an appointment and I took a shortcut through a park. That's where I found Skye-chan alone sitting under the shade of a tree. I had planned to ignore her, but then I noticed she was crying." She flipped her long hair over her shoulder.
"Crying?" Mitsuru clarified.
"My mother just died recently that time," Skye supplied, her green eyes darkening.
"Oh."
Kagami lightly slapped Skye on her arm and reached up to ruffle the younger woman's blue hair. "Being depressed doesn't suit you, Skye-chan," she reminded. "Anyway, I thought that she was lost so I tried asking her where she lived, but she wouldn't tell me. She didn't want to go home apparently. Your father was drinking a lot that time right?"
Skye nodded stiffly. "It was his way out of depression when oka-san died."
Kagami let out a sigh and locked eyes with Mitsuru. "It was getting dark already at that time and I didn't want to leave her alone. That particular area used to be a dangerous place back then so I decided to bring her back to the brothel with me."
"Oh now I remember her!" Another prostitute exclaimed from the doorway. "She's that kid you brought home and took care of for nearly a month."
Yukari stared at Skye intently. "You lived in this brothel for a month?! You were still a kid!"
"I had no choice. I didn't want to go back home to a father who was almost always drunk." Skye's emphatic reply silenced the hazel-haired girl. "Satisfied with my answer or should I say are you taken aback by my past?"
"Skye-chan…" Kagami warned then turned to look at the hazel-haired girl. "Even ex-heiresses have skeletons in their closets," she told Yukari. "The former boss was kind enough to allow Skye-chan to stay in the brothel when I brought her back."
"What did Skye-san do while she lived here?" Mitsuru looked at her surroundings.
"Oh she did some kitchen work for us, cooking and washing dishes and the like," Kagami explained. She set a finger on her chin and looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "Other than that, she usually kept to herself in my room and provided us ladies amusement," she added with a small smile.
"Amusement?" Mitsuru raised her eyebrows in confusion.
"You got to admit, it was really fun to tease a kid who'd blush so easily!" Kagami laughed. "Just looking at her all grown up now, I can tell it won't be as easy anymore."
"Don't remind me," Skye muttered.
Mitsuru squeezed her hands together on her lap. "It's still a little bit hard to believe," she admitted, alternating her gaze on Kagami and Skye. "May I also mention that it's hard to imagine especially with the way Skye-san is now," she added, looking apologetically at her professor.
Kagami let out a deep chuckle. "Well I did mention that Skye-chan here changed a lot since the last time I saw her," she informed everyone else in the room. Her eyes narrowed slightly, looking as if she was remembering something from the past. "I can remember perfectly how I first met her and how I ended up caring for her in this very brothel…"
Twelve years ago…
A young Kagami Tsuchiya walked briskly along a not so crowded street. She was dressed in a tight mini skirt, spaghetti-strapped top and a bolero worn on top of it. There was purpose in her stride, but there was a deep frown on her face. She had just come from meeting a middle-aged man who had decided to pay her less than half of the agreed payment and now she had to go back to the brothel and explain to the boss lady why she will be only giving half the amount expected.
"Damn men…" Kagami muttered, digging a cigarette out of her purse holding it between her lips as she looked for her lighter. She ignored the hostile looks being given to her by the people around her. "I'll take a shortcut." The young woman with luscious raven-black hair quickly walked into a deserted park while taking in long drags from her lit cigarette. She had just turned twenty-years old and would have been in a good university if not for her rebellious attitude towards her family. She had wanted to go independent, but her parents had kept a tight leash around her until she decided to go off on her own. Things had not gone too well for the raven-haired beauty until she was recruited into a brothel rising in popularity.
"And here I am now trying to make a living!" Kagami walked off the path and went across the grass. As soon as she spotted the other exit of the park, she picked up her pace only to slow down when she spotted a hunched figure under a lone tree. Curious as to why there was someone hunched under a
tree in an empty park, Kagami took a detour and walked up the small hill to check on the person. She was surprised to find a young girl sitting on the ground and hugging her knees to her chest. "Lonely kid?" Kagami leaned against the trunk of the tree, dropping her cigarette and extinguishing it with her foot.
The young girl looked up slightly and regarded the raven-haired beauty with sad jade-green eyes. "Lonely? Nah…" the girl replied shaking her head as her long blue hair tied in a ponytail whipped from side to side. "I just like staying here."
Kagami raised her elegant eyebrows. "You're a strange kid," she pointed out, leaning around the tree trunk and getting a closer look at the girl's face. She recognized the familiar tearstain tracks on the blue-haired girl's thin face. "If you're not lonely then it must mean you're lost then. Where do you live kid? I'll be happy to bring you back to your home."
"You don't need to," came the emphatic reply from the girl.
"Is it weird for a kid to be spending time with a prostitute?" Kagami questioned, wondering if the young girl actually thought that way about her.
The girl shook her head. "I know what you do and it doesn't bother me at all," she replied. "Don't get me wrong, but I just don't want to go home." She looked up at the darkening skies and let out a long and heavy sigh.
Kagami let out a sigh of her own and sat heavily on the grass beside the girl. "What's your name, jade eyes?" she asked. "I don't want to keep referring to you as 'kid' or 'jade eyes'," she explained when the blue-haired girl gave her a confused look.
"Skye…" the girl replied. "Skye Sagara."
"Hmmm…" Kagami hummed in thought. "I like calling you jade eyes, but I'll start calling you Skye-chan from now on. So if you don't want to go home, then it must mean that there's a problem at home," she hypothesized. "Would you like to tell me your reason for hanging around this place at this time without any company?"
Skye remained silent for a few seconds, looking reluctant to open up to the relatively young prostitute. After a few more seconds of silence, she finally spoke, "It's been getting really bad back at home," she began in a soft voice. "Oto-san's has been getting himself drunk each day and night."
"An alcoholic?" Kagami asked.
Skye shook her head. "He only started drinking a lot recently."
"What for?"
"Oka-san…" the blue-haired girl whispered. "She passed away almost a week ago. I tried to keep living in the same house with my dad, but it got a bit scary." She shuddered, hugging her knees tightly. "He'd get really violent most nights."
Kagami gazed thoughtfully at Skye. "So you've been spending your time here?" she asked, looking shocked. "Since when did you start hanging around this place?" She was starting to get worried for the kid. "You do know that this place is a popular hangout for gangsters!"
"I know, but there's no other place for me to go to," Skye replied sadly.
The raven-haired woman sucked in a sharp breath and pushed herself up to her feet. Holding her hand out to the girl, she smiled and said, "Come on."
Skye looked at the outstretched hand reproachfully. "I told you, I'm not going home!"
"Who says I'm going to take you back to your home?" Kagami asked. "Look Skye-chan. I'm worried for you and I don't want to leave you alone in this place. It gets dangerous especially when it gets dark." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. Besides, she was almost the same as Skye a few years back. All the running away from home and keeping away from the parents was the kind of thing she did.
"Where are you planning to take me then?" Skye hesitantly placed her hand into Kagami's hand and allowed herself to be pulled back up to her feet.
Kagami dusted her behind and patted Skye on the head. "I'm taking you back to my home." She kept her hold around Skye's smaller hand. "Come along, Skye-chan. I'll take care of you," she promised, leading them out of the park.
As expected, Kagami received a blistering lecture from the boss lady of the brothel. Other than that, the formidable woman who ruled their brothel seemed to have developed a soft spot for the charming blue-haired girl Kagami had brought home with her. "A new trainee and potential recruit?" the woman asked.
Kagami shook her head furiously. "Of course not, boss lady!" she exclaimed.
"Oh I see…" she twirled a lock of her hair with her fingers. "A pet then?" she gazed at the nervous looking Skye with a raised eyebrow on her forehead.
"Boss!" Kagami cried, taking a step forward and pulling Skye behind her body. "She's not a pet too! She's just a young friend of mine I want to take care of for the meantime," she explained. "She's been having a hard time dealing with an alcoholic dad at home and no one's been taking care of her." She looked worriedly at her boss. "Can she stay here in the brothel with me?"
"As long as she helps out," the leader of the brothel agreed. "Not in our way though. She can earn her keep by doing other things around here." She pressed a hard look on the young girl. "Understand girl? You can room with Kagami as long as you do work. Do you know how to do kitchen work?"
Skye nodded stiffly, feeling intimidated by the boss of the brothel. "I helped out a lot back at home," she replied.
"You can also do cleanup in the mornings and afternoons before we open up at night," the boss added, satisfied with the jobs she just assigned to their newest boarder. "I want you to follow these ground rules, little girl." She paced in front of Kagami and Skye. "We can't provide you with any clothes so Kagami will accompany you back to your home to get some. Once you start living here, I don't want to see you in our entertainment area from five in the afternoon to the wee hours of the morning." She gave an extra glare at Kagami to make her point. "Seeing a minor working in our establishment would get us into a lot of trouble. Next, you must absolutely not communicate with any of the customers and try to keep out of sight. Lastly, don't communicate with the other ladies of the brothel unless they're off duty. Are we clear?"
"Yes boss lady," Skye replied with a respectful bow.
"Good," the woman replied. "Kagami, bring her to the kitchens so that she could get firsthand experience of her job." She then went up the stairs and disappeared into a room.
Kagami shook her head and towed Skye towards the kitchens. "Come along, Skye-chan. I'll introduce you to the kitchen staff before I bring you up to our room. Then maybe I'll have some time to introduce you to the other brothel ladies."
A week had passed and Skye had easily adapted to the new lifestyle she was living. It was a bit awkward at first to be associating with women with that kind of job, but with Kagami's company, she easily befriended the brothel ladies. All the women in the brothel had grown to like the quiet, but very polite girl who could cook good meals and do other odd jobs diligently. Even the boss became very fond of the girl, much to the amazement of the women.
Kagami was especially caring for her charge and often kept one eye on her as she did her work. She even made visits to Skye's home just to check the state of her drunken father. The other prostitutes would often tease her that she was training the girl to be her pet or toy, but she merely shrugged it off and cared for the blue-haired girl like she would her own sister or even daughter. She didn't realize that Skye was starting to care for her too until one particular night.
The raven-haired beauty had just finished her shift at the brothel and noiselessly trudged into her room, hoping not to wake her sleeping charge. It was a rough night for her and her body had taken quite a beating… literally. Kagami, who was clad in tight shorts and a bikini top, winced as she stretched her body and slipped off her stilettos. She and a bunch of her friends had to entertain a group of businessmen who were into the SM scenario. It was enjoyable for the men, but not so for Kagami and the rest of her friends. "Damn it!" she cursed, as she pressed a hand onto her aching back. "My back is killing me!"
"Kagami-san?" A sleepy voice called out from the dark corner of the room.
Kagami turned her head and spotted Skye sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall of their room. "Skye-chan? You're still awake and why are you still sleeping like that? I told you so many times to sleep on the futon!"
"I wasn't sleeping Kagami-san," Skye pointed out. The girl moved away from the wall and waited as the raven-haired beauty plopped down onto her futon.
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me one-chan?" Kagami cried out, exasperated. She accidentally pressed down hard on a forming bruise on her back and cursed loudly. "Damn! I'm never going to entertain men that way again!" She grabbed a container of ointment from a nearby desk and tossed it to Skye. "Since you're not sleeping," she told the younger girl as she stretched out lying face down on the futon. "Help me by putting some ointment on my bruised back."
Skye released a defeated sigh and reluctantly put a dollop of the nice smelling ointment in her hands. "What happened? Why is your back in this condition?" The twelve-year-old girl frowned deeply as she gently smoothed the ointment over Kagami's back.
Kagami let out a grunt and twitched slightly under the gentle ministrations of her charge. "Had to handle a bunch of rough customers," she replied, moaning softly as Skye began to knead her shoulders and back.
"You're sore aren't you?"
Kagami nodded her head as she enjoyed the massage. "Where'd you learn how to do this? Is it a natural talent?"
"My mom used to give dad massages after he'd come home exhausted from working at his garage," Skye explained. "I used to watch her so I picked up a few techniques from her." She continued to work silently until Kagami sat up and brought her face very close to Skye's face.
"You miss her," Kagami bluntly stated, her cobalt blue eyes gazing gently at her charge.
Skye shrugged. "I do miss her, but there's nothing that I can do to bring her back," she said sadly, sitting back on her heels. "If she was still alive, our family wouldn't have turned out like this. Oto-san wouldn't have turned into an alcoholic and chain smoker. I would still be going to school-" she halted her depressing rant when two slender fingers rested on her lips.
Kagami smiled sympathetically before gathering her charge in her arms. "Don't blame yourself, Skye-chan," she whispered into the girl's ear as she fiercely hugged her. "I'm sure your mom's watching you. Your dad will come around eventually so in the meantime, trust me to take care of you." She gently patted the blue-haired girl's head.
On Skye's fourth week living at the brothel, she got an unexpected visitor. Kagami brought her down to the lobby to meet him. Skye looked curiously at her sober and clean smelling father.
Akira Sagara dropped to his knees and enveloped his daughter in a fierce hug. "Forgive me, Skye," he said in a hoarse voice choked from emotion. "I was stupid, but I'm going to make it up to you." He pulled away and bowed to Kagami. "You have my thanks for caring for my daughter."
Kagami shook her head despite being deeply moved by the man's words. "I'm just glad that you've snapped back to your original senses. Will you be taking Skye home?" she asked, placing a gentle hand on her charge's shoulder.
The mechanic nodded. "For tonight only," he admitted, scratching the top of his head. He turned to address his confused daughter. "Skye, I love you dearly but my recent show of bad behavior just shows that I won't be able to properly care for you as your father," he sadly told the girl. "Our life here is in shambles and I don't want you to grow up in this kind of environment." He let out a shaky breath. "I've talked to your grandparents," he started. "Your mother's parents have agreed to bring you to London and care for you there."
"But oto-san!" Skye protested.
"I'm not only doing it for your own good, Skye," Akira gently told his daughter. "I need time to get myself back on track."
Kagami rubbed Skye's back. "Skye-chan, listen to your father," she told the girl. "I'm sure with time you'll be able to go back here and live with him again." She gazed expectantly at the father. "He'll write to you."
Akira nodded and held out his hand. "I promise to write to you. Now it's time to say goodbye to your friend," he said.
Kagami bent down and hugged Skye. "You take care of yourself Skye-chan," she ordered the girl.
"Will I see you again?" Skye asked, looking hopefully at her guardian.
Kagami smiled and gently pecked the young girl's cheek. "When you come back here be sure to come find me."
Taking the hand of her father and waving goodbye one last time, Skye exited the brothel never knowing that it would be a full twelve years later that she would once again find herself standing in its halls.
Present…
"So that's what happened," Mitsuru mused. "I didn't realize that this place was significant to you in that way." She ran her restless fingers through her auburn hair.
Skye let out a huff. "Now you know," she started, darting her jade eyes at the raven-haired storyteller at her side. "I'm just glad that she didn't delve into the more embarrassing details during my stay here at the brothel," she muttered.
Kagami laughed. "Do you think I would go so low just to embarrass you?" She playfully punched the young woman's arm.
A deep scowl formed on the professor's face. "You embarrassed a twelve year old girl in far more humiliating situations," she drawled, her elegant eyebrows furrowing.
Yukari leaned closer to Mitsuru. "It makes you wonder what kinds of things Sagara-san went through as a kid."
"Hush Yukari!" The auburn-haired student scolded. "Don't be rude!"
"It's understandable that your friend is curious," Kagami pointed out in amusement. "A lot of people would be wondering what experiences a twelve year old girl went through in a brothel of all places." She glanced at the still scowling Skye and shook her head ruefully. "It's quite mind boggling, but unfortunately you won't be getting any stories from me."
"Well yeah!" Skye retorted. "If I so hear you mention any story from back then, the only entertaining you'll be doing is under the water."
Mitsuru cleared her throat. "We won't bother asking about that, Skye-san!" she assured her professor. "You've done so much for me and it just seems really improper that I repay you by asking you to recount your embarrassing moments in this place."
Finally, the scowl disappeared and was replaced by a small smile. "You needn't say that, Mitsuru," Skye told her student. "You were a friend first before you became my student so you don't need to be so proper around me."
"But you're the heiress of the Thierry-" Mitsuru tried.
"Former heiress," Skye interrupted. "I ran away, remember? Anyway, if you do want to hear about the embarrassing brothel escapades, I might be able to tell you some." She cocked her head to the side and smiled forcibly at Mitsuru and her girlfriend. "That's if the two of you quit following me around." Seeing the two girls nod their heads in agreement, Skye got to her feet and stretched her arms up to the ceiling. "That's done, I have to get going."
Mitsuru and Yukari also got to their feet. "Us too," she said. "We have plans to meet with our friends later on." The three women bowed goodbye to the brothel ladies and turned towards the door.
"Hold on. The three of you aren't getting off the hook so easily."
Skye paused in her tracks and reluctantly turned around to stare at Kagami. "What are you talking about?" she asked, feeling slightly nervous about what the older woman had in mind.
"Like it or not, the three of you disrupted our operations," Kagami informed them, a knowing smile evident on her face.
"B-but your establishment isn't even open yet!" Mitsuru pointed out in defense. She too was feeling anxious about the situation.
The buxom raven-haired beauty shook her head and clucked her tongue at them. "Even at these times, we have established operations that keep running throughout the day." She got up from the couch and walked sensually towards Skye. "Not to mention, we had two under-aged girls come into our establishment during the day!" Stopping just half a foot away from her former charge, she tilted her head up and locked eyes with the taller jade-eyed woman. "So? What do you intend to do, Skye-chan?" She raised one eyebrow expectantly.
Skye glared at the older woman for a few seconds before quickly turning her face away. "You're an old scheming woman, Kagami," she growled, roughly stuffing her hands into her pockets. "I'm assuming that I'm also liable to punishment like these two girls?"
"Yes," Kagami replied, grinning widely and motioned for two of her subordinates forward. "Take Mitsuru-san and Yukari-san to get some cleaning equipment," she ordered. "The two of you are going to be helping out with getting this place ready before we open later on." She watched as the two girls were led out of the room before giving her full attention to the remaining woman. "As for you, I've got the perfect job for you!"
"What would that be?" Skye asked in a wry tone.
Kagami tapped her wristwatch, which indicated that it was already past two in the afternoon. "Our cook has been out sick for the past few days and we don't have a decent cook among the ladies of this brothel," she told Skye with a smile. "I'm afraid it's the kitchen for you!" she said cheerfully.
It was nearly five in the afternoon when Skye, Mitsuru and Yukari finished their respective punishment. Mitsuru and Yukari were certainly tired after first cleaning the club area of the brothel and the hallways of the establishment. They were given a short break to have a lunch with the rest of the ladies in the brothel. Skye had done her punishment dutifully and cooked them a delicious meal, which she claimed to have improved after living in London. Not only did she cook, she also handled kitchen cleanup and came out with hardly a spot or stain on her clothing.
"Satisfied Kagami-san?" Skye inquired with her arms impatiently crossed over her chest. "Did you have to make Mitsuru and Yukari handle cleanup? This brothel is actually bigger compared to other brothels and cleaning it takes a whole day!" She frowned at the disheveled features of the younger women.
"It's punishment, Skye-chan!" Kagami quipped as she looked over the brothel ladies who were all dressed appropriately prior to opening their establishment to the public. "Well, we're just about to open the brothel and there's nothing else we could put upon you and your friends as punishment."
Yukari let out a disgruntled sigh. "Finally! We can get going!" She braced herself against the wall of the room. "We can go already, right?" The hazel-haired girl looked worriedly at her equally tired lover.
"Are we?" Mitsuru asked the question to the blue-haired ex-heiress.
Skye nodded stiffly. "We're leaving," she told them. "Come along Mitsuru and Yukari!" She and the girls walked towards the brothel's doors.
"Boss lady! We got a problem!"
Kagami made a face. "What now? We're just about to open!"
"Our bouncer can't make it all of a sudden and two of our own are still out! They just called to say that they're both still wrapped up with the customers they were with since last night! They did say that they'll be back by eight in the evening."
"Damn! We're short on manpower then!"
Yukari paused at the door after overhearing the situation. "Hey they're having a problem," she told Mitsuru, pulling on her lover's sleeve.
"I heard it too, ok Yukari?" Mitsuru tried to pull her girlfriend out of the brothel. "Your curiosity is going to get all of us in trouble!"
Skye was already waiting outside, but ended up heading back inside the brothel to get her student to hurry it up. "What's the hold up? If we stay here any longer, Kagami might come up with something else to punish us!"
"Ohhh Skye-chan!" The familiar singsong tone of voice rang throughout the lobby.
Skye slapped her forehead in annoyance and frustration. "Oh no… Please Kagami! Don't do this!" Her mood darkened all the more as she watched two prostitutes sneak behind them and bar the doors, trapping them inside. "This is too much for me to handle!"
Kagami grinned wickedly at her former charge. "But Skye-chan it isn't just going to be you who'll be helping us out!"
"Making two under-aged girls work in a brothel is absolutely unacceptable!" Skye shouted.
"They won't be working!" Kagami reassured the blue-haired woman. "I'll have them dress up like us, but they won't be made to do our kind of work! They can work as waitresses!" she cheerfully added, looking excited.
Skye let out a stream of curses that made even the hardiest brothel ladies cover their mouths in shock. "No!" she roared. "Do you even realize who this redhead is?" she demanded, gesturing wildly at an anxious looking Mitsuru. "She's the heiress of the Kirijo group and the Kirijo Industries! If the Kirijo group finds out that their heiress is in a brothel, all hell will break loose!"
"I know who she is, Skye-chan. Don't worry, I'll make sure that these girl won't be bothered by the customers," the raven-haired beauty told them.
"And what about our heiress?" Skye asked, still not looking convinced.
"We'll disguise her a bit," Kagami answered, looking thoughtful. "Besides, once the customers get inside the club area of the brothel, they'll have a hard time recognizing anyone because of the dim lighting. Additionally, most of our customers start getting drunk in the first few hours so you have nothing to worry about."
Yukari looked reproachfully at the skimpy outfits the women before her wore. "If Mitsuru and I are going to be parading around like you guys, what's Sagara-san going to do?"
Kagami looked at Skye from head to toe. "Did you play sports while you were in London, Skye-chan?" she asked the young woman.
Skye looked confused but nodded her head anyway. "I was in the women's football varsity and I played basketball regularly with a bunch of friends."
"Any chance that you learned any martial arts?"
"Muay Thai and some Taekwondo," Skye replied. "What does that have to do with what we're talking about?"
Kagami grinned as she walked over to Skye and linked their arms together. "Let's get you changed into better clothes. You're going to do bouncer work for us until we get our hands on a replacement bouncer."
"You're going to owe me a lot for this, Kagami," Skye growled as she let the older woman drag her into a room.
"I don't owe you at all, Skye-chan! It's actually the other way around! You are the one who owes me!"
Inside the spacious club area of the brothel with the dimmed lights and the blaring music, Mitsuru and Yukari served various aged men an assortment of drinks. Both were loaned skimpy outfits so that they would both fit in among the ladies of the brothel.
"This is quite uncomfortable," Mitsuru informed her lover as she stacked empty glasses onto her tray. The brothel's club area was filled with rambunctious men of different ages looking to have a good time. "How can people strut around in clothes like these?"
Yukari chuckled as she refilled her collected glasses with various alcoholic drinks. "You dress too conservatively, senpai!" The hazel-haired girl leaned her elbows against a bar's surface and looked around the club area. "A lot of girls back at Gekkoukan high tend to dress like this when they're outside school."
"I've seen them, but I still can't see how they can flaunt their bodies in these kinds of clothes!" Mitsuru exclaimed, looking quite embarrassed with herself. "At least Skye-san has it easy," she pointed out. "At least with the clothes she has to wear," she added, noting the appearance of her professor. The blue-haired woman was made to wear black slacks, a fit long sleeved polo shirt, suspenders and a black tie. Around her forearm was a black armband that had the word 'bouncer' in big white letters.
"It's definitely more comfortable, but she has the tougher job," Yukari admitted. "So far she had to break up two potential brawls and throw out three drunkards who refused to pay their bills."
Just then, the customers began to hoot and shout as two got up from their seats and stepped towards Kagami and two other prostitutes. "Contest! Contest!" the men chanted, banging their fists against their tables.
"Oh no… It looks like Sagara-san has an even worse situation in her hands," Yukari said, watching as Kagami motioned Skye over to her.
Mitsuru nodded her head and looked worriedly as her professor stalked towards Kagami and the rowdy group of men. "I wonder what Kagami-san intends for Skye-san to do?"
"You want me to what?!" Skye almost shouted in her disbelief.
Kagami shushed her former charge, grabbed hold of her shirt and pulled her down so that she could whisper into her ear. "These men just insulted one of our ladies and it spurred an argument."
"What kind of argument?"
Kagami shrugged her shoulders. "The typical men are superior to women kind of argument. The men want a contest," she told Skye. "Those two guys over there say that they can withstand any move or advances my girls can do to them."
"What?"
Kagami rolled her eyes, her impatience showing through the tapping of her foot against the floor. "How slow can you be?" she wondered aloud. "They said that they won't get horny with whatever tricks my girls will use on them."
"And how do I come into this contest?" Skye questioned, already not liking the idea.
The raven-haired beauty grinned and gestured at the small and elevated stage. "I made a bet with the men that they would lose the contest to a woman." She watched as three chairs were arranged on stage. "My girls will do all their tricks and techniques to try to get the contestants horny. Any person who blushes or displays the other oh-so-familiar signs will be eliminated."
"Why not pick one of your girls to compete?"
"I have a feeling you'll fare better than they and besides, most of them are under the influence," Kagami replied, pointing at a discarded beer bottle. "A sober person will fare better and those two men who are participating are on the brink of being pissed-off drunk. I'm confident that you'll do well!"
Skye let out a low growl and took a step backward. "Must I really be the one to do this?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing. "I have to remind you that there are two under-aged girls in the vicinity. This type of thing isn't appropriate for their eyes."
"Oh hush! I'm sure they're old enough to know what this kind of thing is about and you did mention that those two girls are seeing each other." Kagami leaned around Skye's form to regard Mitsuru and her younger lover. "Look. If you do this for me and win, I'll let you and your two friends go."
"Right after the contest ends?" Skye questioned the shorter woman, narrowing her jade-green eyes at her.
Kagami nodded and stuck her hand out for Skye to shake. "You have my word."
"Also, I want all your surveillance tapes," Skye added, glancing at the three surveillance cameras around the room. "I don't want you blackmailing me, Mitsuru and Yukari."
Kagami frowned, but nevertheless sealed the deal with a handshake. "It's a deal then."
The blue-haired ex-heiress took a deep breath and strode towards the stage where the two men were already seated on their respective chairs. Schooling her face to blankness, Skye eased herself onto the chair, leaned back and languidly crossed her arms over her chest. She knew that if she wanted to win this, she needed to be intensely focused and draw herself into her mind.
Kagami took her position at the front of the stage and spoke into a microphone. "Alright gents! As you wished, we will be holding a contest!" she announced and waited for the men to settle down. "Three basic rules! First, one of my ladies will do her work with each contestant for three minutes. Second, whoever displays signs of being horny… no need for me to elaborate on that for the men," she added, smiling at the frenzied hooting of the customers. "-will get knocked out of the competition. Third, if there are two contestants left at the end of the contest then we will have a tiebreaker," she finished, tossing her hair back. "Any questions?" She looked around the dark club area. "Then let's begin!"
At one corner of the club, Mitsuru and Yukari gawked at what was happening. Mitsuru blushed and tried to look away as one of the prostitutes danced erotically in front of the first contestant. "This is the contest the men want?" she asked. "Why is Skye-san part of this… this contest?"
Yukari thanked a passing prostitute and walked over to her lover. "Looks like Kagami-san struck a deal with Sagara-san," she informed the auburn-haired student. "If Skye-san is the last person standing, we'll be set free."
"She actually agreed to that?" Mitsuru couldn't believe that her professor would make herself go through something so humiliating for them. She gulped as the prostitute went full contact with the
first man. "I seriously doubt that Skye-san could last," she confided in Yukari, watching as Kagami raised her hand in the air and halted the contest.
"Contestant number one! You're out of the game!" the raven-haired woman shouted, pointing at the familiar bulge beneath the man's pants. As the man walked off the stage, he hid his arousal and tried to ignore the jeers of his fellows. "On to the next contestant!" Kagami signaled for the prostitute to start on the second man who looked hardier and more focused compared to the previous contestant.
Mitsuru and Yukari continued to watch the contest unfold, half interested and half embarrassed at the spectacle before them. Yukari noted down with interest that the green-eyed woman had an entirely serious countenance and her eyes showed plain disinterest. Silently, she was hoping that the second man would succumb to his desires and drop out of the competition, but the Kagami clapped her hands to signal the end of three minutes.
The man was certainly proud of himself for he shot out of his chair and roared out in victory. The rest of the men in the club also celebrated along by pumping their fists in the air, cheering the man on and taunting the only woman participating in the contest.
"Well what do we have here?" Kagami twirled the microphone around and waited as the overly energetic male contestant settled back into his chair. "I'm amazed that you have controlled yourself so well! If our last competitor fails in this task, then you will indeed be the winner." Kagami glanced at the stoic looking Skye, masking her worry by casually flipping her hair over her shoulders.
"Don't forget our deal!" the man reminded, licking his lips hungrily. "If I win then we get to pick any girl we want for the night free of charge!"
Skye snapped out of her trance, her jaw dropping upon realizing the gravity of the situation. "You made another bet?!" she shouted. Now knowing that the whole brothel's reputation lay in her hands, she was immensely nervous.
Kagami sighed. She had not wanted her former charge to find out the second bet the men had proposed, but things had not apparently gone as she planned. "Pull yourself together, Skye-chan," she told the younger woman in a soft voice. "I shouldn't have imposed such a heavy burden on you. It was silly of me to have myself swayed so easily by a petty argument."
The part-time bouncer remained silent for a full minute, her eyes hidden beneath her blue-black hair. "You're going to owe me a lot for this, Kagami-san," she muttered, opening her eyes. "That bet the men proposed includes Yukari and Mitsuru and I can't let that happen now right?"
"Not to mention, we'd lose a lot of money tonight," Kagami added, hoping for some sympathy.
"If Yukari and Mitsuru weren't involved in this," Skye hissed in annoyance. "I would have gladly dropped out of this stupid contest and let these men have their way with you!" She harrumphed and momentarily gazed kindly at Kagami. "I'm not the heartless," she told the woman. "I wouldn't like to see you and your ladies be taken advantage of." She took a deep breath, her eyes darkening with seriousness. "Start the contest already!"
"You have my thanks, Skye-chan," Kagami whispered, stepping back to the front of the stage and announcing the start of the round.
With a little hesitation, the same prostitute who had conducted the contest with the previous contestants stepped forward and nervously eyed the seated woman before her. Inside, she hoped that Kagami's former charge was hard enough to withstand her advances. She started off by sensually swaying her hips, her arms slowly twining upwards into the air as she gave those fathomless jade-green eyes a heated gaze. The blue-haired woman didn't even blink as she moved on to her next act. This time, she slid into Skye's lap and lightly twined her arms around her neck. She had just reached the two-minute mark as she leaned forward, pressing her supple body into the seated figure. She ground her hips against Skye for a few more seconds when Kagami signaled for her to stop. For a moment, she thought that Skye had done something wrong.
"It looks like we're going to go into a sudden death tiebreaker!" Kagami whooped as the club erupted with shouts and cheers. She flashed a thumbs-up sign at Yukari and Mitsuru and quickly checked the Skye's state. She sighed inwardly when she saw that the mechanic's daughter was still in a trance-like state. "Alright settle down!" she ordered. "In order to settle this dispute, I'm going to be the one conducting this sudden death tiebreaker. She fished a coin out of her leather jacket and stepped towards the lone male contestant. "I'll be nice and let you call the order," she told the man, hoping that he wouldn't notice that she was trying to keep Skye in her focused state. "Call it!" She flicked the coin up in the air and caught it.
"Heads!" The man exclaimed.
Kagami unclenched her fist. "Heads it is," she announced. "Who goes first?"
"I'll go first!" he replied confidently, pumping his fist up in the air to encourage his fellow brothel-goers to cheer for him.
Kagami laughed as she shrugged her jacket off and threw it off the stage, leaving her clad in a black corset and skimpy shorts. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, sir! As I said, this is sudden death so if you lose now, you lose the contest," she told him, grinning when she saw him gulp hard. "Not changing your mind?" The man shook his head and tried to put up a brave front. "Suit yourself!" She skulked towards her prey with a wicked smile on her face. A full minute and a half had gone by when she noticed that the man was turning into a different color. To her and the audience's surprise, the man was not turning red but into a deep blue and purplish color. She sensually slid off the man's lap and stepped away as the man fell off his chair in a dead faint.
As the men began to complain loudly about how their friend had unconsciously held his breath long enough to make him pass out, Mitsuru let out a sigh of relief while the hazel-haired girl by her side doubled over in laughter.
"Looks like we have a winner!" Kagami bent over and retrieved her jacket from the floor. "And so gentlemen, you've lost your bet and you must now pay what you owe!" She crooked her fingers at them from the stage. "Remember our terms! Your individual bills for your next ten visits will be doubled." As the men grumbled and reached for their wallets, Kagami spotted her former charge getting to her feet and rubbing her face hard. "Thanks Skye-chan," she told her, taking her hand and leading her off the stage and towards a relieved Mitsuru and a still laughing Yukari.
"How'd you do it?" The question left Mitsuru's lips before she knew what she was doing.
Skye smiled ruefully at the three women before her. "Did a lot of deep thinking and thankfully it kept me distracted," she told them, running her fingers through her hair. "You could say I let myself space out so I hardly even noticed what was happening."
Yukari raised her eyebrows. "You make it sound so easy, but it's not as simple as we think it is, right?" She was starting to like Mitsuru's professor.
Kagami let out a chuckle and wrapped an arm around her former charge's shoulders. "Skye was actually at an advantage in that contest and that's why I picked her to represent the womenfolk of this brothel." She ruffled Skye's hair with her hand. "The embarrassing brothel experiences she refuses to tell you have made her almost immune to our tricks and techniques," she informed the two girls.
"Almost immune?" Mitsuru questioned, confused that there was a limitation to Kagami's description. Just as Skye opened her mouth to explain, the buxom raven-haired woman pressed herself into Skye's wiry build, positioned her mouth beside her ear and lightly laved it. Almost instantly, two streams of crimson flowed out Skye's nose as Kagami stepped away.
"As you can see," Kagami stated, gesturing at Skye's bleeding nose. "The only person that could make her react like that is me." She grinned as she watched Mitsuru grab paper towels and thrust them at her professor's nose to contain the flow of blood. "There hasn't been a single time that she hasn't gotten a nosebleed from that specific trick!"
"Kagami…" Skye growled as she covered her nostrils with the blood-soaked paper towels. "I'm going to kill you!" She lunged forward, just missing the boss lady of the brothel. As Skye chased the screaming Kagami around the club, Mitsuru and Yukari watched them in amusement while the customers began to file out of the brothel.
"Come visit me again, Skye-chan!"
"You wish!"
The auburn-haired heiress and her hazel-haired lover said their goodbyes to Kagami while she continued to tease her former charge. "Thanks for taking care of us, Kagami-san," Mitsuru said, bowing deeply to the beautiful woman. All three of them were back in their original outfits and were getting ready to go home.
Kagami waved the university student's thanks off. "No need to thank me," she replied, jerking her thumb at a scowling Skye. "It's this one you have to thank. If she hadn't won, then we'd all be in a whole lot of trouble!"
"Skye-san," Mitsuru began, in the process of bowing to her professor.
"You don't need to," Skye interrupted, positioning her fingers at her temples and kneading them. "I did it for everyone's behalf and besides, there's a fair exchange," she added, eying Kagami. "Right? We're free to go now right?"
Kagami nodded. "The surveillance tapes?"
"You can keep it. I realize that you'll have to purchase new ones if I take them away," Skye replied. "I wouldn't want your expenses to increase. Tape over the videos and we'll call it even."
"Damn! They know I'm missing!" Mitsuru snapped her cellphone shut and shoved it into her pocket. "I must be going." She turned to Yukari and looked apologetically at her. "Sorry mon amour, but I won't be able to bring you back to your dormitory." The redhead looked around the Iwatodai strip. "Is there a cab we could flag down to take Yukari back to her dormitory?"
"Not at this time," Kagami replied, shaking her head.
Skye cleared her throat. "I'll take her home Mitsuru," she offered as she gave Yukari a kind smile. "You're already in enough trouble with that company of yours and it isn't such a good idea to let Yukari walk home by herself," she elaborated.
"I am truly grateful for this," Mitsuru exclaimed. To Yukari, she gave a quick hug then asked, "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yup!" Yukari chirped, going up on her tiptoes to peck one of Mitsuru's alabaster cheeks. "Take care of yourself on the way back to your apartment!" she called as she waved at Mitsuru's retreating figure.
"The same goes for you, Yukari!" Mitsuru called back before disappearing into the night.
The raven-haired boss of the brothel stretched her body before addressing the two remaining women before her. "Well, I have to get things cleaned up inside," she informed the both of them, giving Skye one last hug and quick kiss. "The next time you go see your father, tell him that I won't hesitate to throw him out if he tries to come back here again!"
Skye could not help but grin at the order. "I'll be sure to tell him that, Kagami!" She and Yukari waved bade the older woman goodbye before setting off towards the parking lot where Skye had left her motorcycle.
"Sagara-san?"
"Call me Skye, Yukari." Tired green eyes regarded the hazel-haired girl.
Yukari cleared her throat as she nervously returned the tired gaze of the professor. "Umm… can I ask you a question Skye-san?" she asked, looking down at her feet as they continued their short trip to the lot.
Skye looked quizzically at Yukari before she relented. "Sure."
"Is there something between you and senpai?"
"You mean Mitsuru?" Skye clarified as she linked her hands behind her head. "It's nothing serious if it worries you," she told the girl. "We're friends, I suppose. We're not good friends, but I consider her important."
"Why is that?"
The ex-heiress looked up at the dark skies above them. "I see a lot of myself in her," she admitted. "It's rare to come across a person who's had a similar past and background. I can't help but feel like I can connect to her somehow." They were silent the rest of the way until Skye boarded her BMW sport bike and helped Yukari get on behind her.
After wrapping her arms around Skye's waist, Yukari gathered enough courage and asked the question that has been bothering her since her first meeting with the professor. "Skye-san… are you… lesbian?" She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as she waited for an answer.
"Can't really say," Skye replied, igniting the engines of her bike.
"Why do you say that?"
The biker shrugged. "I haven't had any tendencies," she explained.
"Boys?" Yukari asked, watching Skye tweak with the bike's controls.
"Haven't shown any interest in them… yet," Skye answered back. "In other words, I'm an unknown type," she chuckled. "I'll tell you this though," she looked over her shoulder to look at the hazel-haired student behind her. "If I do start getting interested in relationships and the like then I think it wouldn't really matter who I'd end up going out with. Male or female, I think it wouldn't really matter to me."
Yukari stared into those fathomless green eyes before shaking her head ruefully. "My jealousy hindered me from seeing that you're actually a really cool person," she admitted, grinning up into the face of the professor.
"I'm flattered," Skye replied and returned the playful grin. "Now hold on! We'll be at your dormitory before you know it!"
This is quite a long chapter and probably is as long as the first chapter I wrote for this story. Anyway, after reading the various opinions of the readers, I decided that the main pairing of this story would be Yukari x Mitsuru with Skye as developing close friend of Mitsuru.
Mr. Thumbsup: yeah… you'd expect junpei to do something stupid when they all found out about Yukari and Mitsuru.
Li Senkei: Sorry about the wrong translation. I corrected it in this chapter though. I'm glad though that you liked the previous chapter. :)
Roxius: Nah… as I said earlier, it's definitely going to be Yukari x Mitsuru until the end of the story. :)
Next Chapter: Summer jobs and an outing.